Akathist to the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow Website Version

8/13/2019 Akathist to the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow Website Version

1/27

AKATHISTTO THE MOTHER OF GOD,JOY OF A L L WH O SORROW

Kontakion 1

To thee, the champion leader, do we thy servants dedicate

a hymn of victory and thanksgiving, as ones who have been delivered from eternal death by the grace of Christour God, Who was born of thee, and by thy maternalmediation before Him. As thou dost have invinciblemight, free us from all sorrow and misfortune who cryaloud:Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of Grace, joy of all who

sorrow !

Ikos 1

The Archangel Gabriel was sent from Heaven to declareunto thee: Rejoice, and to announce the Divine

Incarnation of Christ, Who desired to be born of thee, the joy of the whole world that was languishing in sorrow.Wherefore, heavy laden with sins, but having obtained thehope of salvation in thee, we cry out to thee withcompunction:


2/27

Rejoice, goodwill of God toward sinners!Rejoice, strong help for those who repent before the Lord

God!Rejoice, restoration of fallen Adam!Rejoice, redemption of the tears of Eve!Rejoice, thou who dost remove the stain of sin!Rejoice, laver in which the conscience is washed clean!Rejoice, thou who didst bear the Redeemer Who freelycleanses us of our transgressions!Rejoice, wondrous reconciliation of all mankind withGod!Rejoice, bridge that truly leads us from death to life!Rejoice, thou who saves the world from the flood of sin!Rejoice, heavenly ladder by which the Lord descended forus!

Rejoice, cause of sanctification for all!

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace, joy of all who sorrow !

Kontakion 2

Beholding the streams of wonders that pour forth fromthy holy ikon, O most blessed Mother of God, goodhelper of those who pray, support of the oppressed, hopeof the hopeless, consolation of those who grieve,nourishment for the hungry, garment for the naked,


3/27

chastity of virgins, guide for strangers, assistance of thosewho labour, restorer of sight to the blind, hearing to thedeaf and healing to the sick, through thee do we

thankfully chant unto God: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

Seeking to understand the incomprehensible reasons forthe bitter sorrows that assail us, and in need ofconsolation, we flee to thee O Mother and Virgin. In thatthou art good, teach us to see in them the merciful

providence of thy good Son for the salvation of our soulsand the cleansing of our many transgressions, that we may

joyfully cry to thee:

Rejoice, calm haven of the tempest-tossed!

Rejoice, sure confirmation of those in doubt!Rejoice, gracious mother of loving-kindness!Rejoice, ready helper of all in misfortunes andtemptations!Rejoice, thou who doth soothe away the sorrows of oursins!Rejoice, thou who doth heal the grief of our spiritualinfirmity!Rejoice, thou who doth teach us to disdain the vain

pleasures of this world!Rejoice, thou who doth lead our minds from this world tothe one which transcends it!


4/27

Rejoice, thou who doth draw us from the desire forearthly things to the heavenly love of God!Rejoice, thou who grantest us consolation and a life of

Grace amidst our very sorrows!Rejoice, pledge of eternal blessings!Rejoice, promise of everlasting joy!


Kontakion 3

With power from on high strengthen us, afflicted as weare, in body and soul, O good Lady, and vouchsafe untous thy visitation and motherly care, dispelling the gloomof despondency that entraps us, so that being held in thine

embrace, we may unceasingly cry out to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

O thou who hast an ineffable wealth of loving-kindness,stretch forth the hand of thine assistance unto all whosorrow, curing infirmities and healing the passions, anddisdain not even me, O Blessed Lady, as I lie upon the

bed of mine affliction and cry unto thee:

Rejoice, priceless treasury of mercy!Rejoice, hope of all who are in despair!


5/27

Rejoice, healer of my body!Rejoice, salvation of my soul!Rejoice, unfailing strengthener of the infirm!

Rejoice, aid and support of the disabled!Rejoice, thou who speedily quenches the wrath of God bythy supplication!Rejoice, thou who tamest our passions by the power ofthy prayers!Rejoice, sight for the blind and hearing for the deaf!Rejoice, feet for the lame, speech for the dumb!Rejoice, visitation of good cheer for the sick!Rejoice, for through thee Grace-filled healings are grantedto all, according to the measure of their faith!


Kontakion 4

A tempest of misfortunes and temptations besets me, andno longer can I endure its raging. But as thou art themerciful mother of my Saviour and God, lift up thy handsto thy Son, beseeching Him to regard the bitter sorrow ofmy heart and to raise me up from the abyss of despair,who cry to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 4


6/27

O most holy Virgin and Mother, hearing the prophecy ofthe righteous Simeon: A sword shall pierce through thineown soul , thou didst keep all these sayings in thy heart,

understanding that the joy of a mother's heart over herchildren can be accompanied with much grief in thisworld. Wherefore, as one tried and tested in everythingand able to commiserate with a mother's sorrows, we cryto thee:

Rejoice, thou who didst bear the Christ Child, the Saviourof the world!Rejoice, thou who deliverest the world from sorrows!Rejoice, thou who didst endure hearing the blasphemiesand slanders hurled at thy Son!Rejoice, thou who didst suffer together with Him throughHis passion!

Rejoice, consolation of the sorrows of mothers!Rejoice, gracious protector of their children!Rejoice, speedy helper amid misfortunes!Rejoice, corrector of those who go stray!Rejoice, nurse of infants!Rejoice, teacher of the young!Rejoice, mother of the orphaned!Rejoice, help of widows!



7/27

Kontakion 5

Beholding the Divinely-flowing Blood of thy Son poured

forth upon the Cross of our salvation, as the handmaidenof the Lord, thou didst humbly subject thyself to the willof our Father in heaven, giving us an example ofendurance and patience, that amid the raging oftemptations and misfortunes we may cry aloud to God:

Alleluia!

Ikos 5

Seeing thee crucified with Him in thy heart, and standingwith His beloved disciple by the Cross, thy Son and Goduttered: Woman, behold thy son , and to His disciple: Behold thy mother , thereby giving thee as sons all who

believe in Him. Thus having in thee a good mother and placing all our hope in thee, despite grieving as partakersof the sorrows and sufferings of thy Son, we cry to thee:

Rejoice, mother of the Christian race!Rejoice, thou who didst adopt us at the Cross of thy Son!Rejoice, thou who didst unite God with mankind!Rejoice, thou who didst join the faithful to the Lord!Rejoice, mother who didst bear the Lamb who takes awaythe sin of the world!Rejoice, cup that draws joy for us from the Fountain ofImmortality!


8/27

Rejoice, surety of the salvation of sinners!Rejoice, search for the perishing!Rejoice, unexpected joy of sinners!

Rejoice, raising up of all the fallen!Rejoice, healer of all infirmities!Rejoice, alleviation of every sorrow!


Kontakion 6

O Mother of God, all the ends of the earth proclaim thymercies, for by thy sacred protection thou dost shelter thewhole Christian race for whom thou dost supplicate Christour Saviour and doth deliver from all misfortune thy

pious and God-fearing servants who faithfully cry out toGod: Alleluia!

Ikos 6

Beholding the radiant grace that shines forth from thymost wondrous ikon, O Mother of God, and falling down

before it with tears, we beseech thee; disperse the cloudsof temptations that have come upon us, so that we maycry out to thee with joy:

Rejoice, thou who dost carry the supplications of the


9/27

faithful unto thy Son and God!Rejoice, thou who dost pray for us all at the throne of thySon!

Rejoice, intercessor before God, who dost save the worldfrom calamities!Rejoice, help of the Christian race, given to us by God!Rejoice, tree of goodly shade, whereby many aresheltered!Rejoice, tree bearing heavenly fruit, whereby the faithfulare nourished!Rejoice, shelter of the world, more spacious than a cloud!Rejoice, land of promise, from whence flows milk andhoney!Rejoice, celestial radiance, unceasingly illuminating thefaithful!Rejoice, pillar of fire, guiding the elect to their heavenly

inheritance!Rejoice, field yielding an abundance of compassion!Rejoice, bestower of every blessing!


Kontakion 7

Thou, O Lady Theotokos, didst command the ailingEuphemia to have a moleben served before thy mostsacred image, the Joy of All Who Sorrow , and having


10/27

received healing, she was commanded to proclaim, to all,the mercies bestowed through this wondrous ikon, so thatthe source of gracious healings be not hidden from those

in need. Wherefore O Lady, we hide not thy good deeds,and thankfully glorifying God, we cry to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 7

Thy temple, in which we bow down before thy wonder-working ikon, is shown to be a new pool of Siloam,surpassing the one of old, O Most Pure Theotokos; forhealth of body is given not once a year and only to thefirst-come, but thou dost always heal every ailment andevery disease of soul and body of those who hasten tothee with faith and love. Wherefore we cry to thee:

Rejoice, spring wherein our sorrows are washed away!Rejoice, cup whereby we partake of joy and salvation!Rejoice, rock giving drink to those who thirst for life!Rejoice, nectar sweetening the salty waters of the sea oflife!Rejoice, inexhaustible fountain of life-giving waters!Rejoice, vessel for washing away the stain of sin!Rejoice, release of our burdens!Rejoice, relief of our weariness and pain!Rejoice, healing of our afflictions!Rejoice, deliverance from disasters!Rejoice, trampling down of demons!


11/27

Rejoice, humiliation of enemies!

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of Grace, joy of all who

sorrow !

Kontakion 8

Strangers and pilgrims are we upon this earth, accordingto the words of the Apostle: enduring perils at the handsof enemies, perils at the hands of relatives, perils at thehands of false brethren, and in much want and sorrow.And in that thou art our teacher, guide and guardian OLady, do thou bring us to the calm haven and pray that thySon will grant us remission of our transgressions beforethe end, that we may unceasingly cry to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

Our whole life on earth is painful and filled with grief because of false accusations, reproaches, insults, andvarious other misfortunes and temptations, for the flesh isweak and our spirit is failing. Therefore, to thee do weflee, O Mother of God, falling down before thine all-pureikon. Fill our sorrowful hearts with joy and gladness, thatwe may cry to thee:

Rejoice, guide directing us to our heavenly homeland!Rejoice, Queen of Heaven, who dost open for us the gates


12/27

of Paradise!Rejoice, loving one who hast mercy upon us!Rejoice, thou who dost order our life well!

Rejoice, fleece bedewed, that Gideon foresaw!Rejoice, blessed womb that contained the uncontainableGod of all!Rejoice, bush that burned and yet remained unconsumed!Rejoice, unassailable wall!Rejoice, life-giving fountain!Rejoice, never-fading bloom!Rejoice, softening of the hearts of the wicked!Rejoice, conscience of believers!


Kontakion 9

Every manifestation of life in this world partakes ofsorrow: glory does not endure, wealth and power crumble,

beauty and health fade away, and friends and neighboursleave us or are taken away by death. Wherefore weimplore thee, sweeten our sorrows, thou channel of

blessings, bestowing incorruptible joy upon us who cryout to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 9


13/27

The most eloquent orators are lost for words to consolethe sorrowful; but through thy love and mercy, O LadyTheotokos, speak consolation to our hearts, dispersing the

clouds of our sorrows and the gloom of our despair withthe radiance of thy glory, that we may cry out to thee:

Rejoice, thou who hast made glad all the Christians whohave confidence in thee!Rejoice, joy and tranquillity of the world!Rejoice, channel of divine goodness!Rejoice, hope of eternal blessings!Rejoice, rescuer of those who seek salvation!Rejoice, harbour for the voyages of life!Rejoice, faithful preserver of those who, after God, puttheir trust in thee!Rejoice, vesture for all who are stripped of pride and

arrogance!Rejoice, preserver and confirmation for all!Rejoice, fortification and sacred refuge of all the faithful!Rejoice, help of those who faithfully pray to thee!Rejoice, radiant knowledge of Grace!


Kontakion 10

Desiring to save the human race from eternal torment and


14/27

unending sorrow, the Lord God Who loves mankind dweltin thine Ever Virgin womb, and appointed thee, His ownmother, to be the helper, protector, and defender of all

who are in danger of perishing, so that thou mightest bethe consolation of the grieving, the joy of the sorrowfuland the hope of the despairing, releasing them frometernal torment by the power of thine intercession, andleading to heavenly glory all who faithfully cry to thy Sonand our God: Alleluia!

Ikos 10

Thou art the bulwark of virgins, O Lady Theotokos, andof all who flee to thy protection. Wherefore we beseechthee: help, protect, and preserve from temptations,afflictions, and misfortunes all of us, orphans and helpless

ones, who cry out to thee with faith and love:

Rejoice, pillar of virginity!Rejoice, chosen vessel of purity and chastity!Rejoice, crown of those who, by chastity, make war uponthe flesh!Rejoice, bestower of eternal rejoicing upon those wholabour profitably in the monastic life!Rejoice, thou who dost quench the flame of the passions!Rejoice, thou who dost dispel the darkness oftemptations!Rejoice, guide to chastity!


15/27

Rejoice, rampart of purity!Rejoice, reformation of mankind!Rejoice, thou by whom we are raised up from the fall!

Rejoice, steadfast affirmation of the Faith!Rejoice, pleasing incense of prayer!


Kontakion 11

We, thy servants, offer to thee a hymn of contrition, OLady Theotokos, for thou art the all-powerful helper ofour race. Soothe the pains of those who flee to thee;

appease the wrath of God that has been justly arousedagainst us because of our sins; deliver us from every bitter pain and sorrow, who cry to God, through thee: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

O Lady Theotokos, thy most honoured ikon, a light- bearing lamp lit by the ember of the grace of God, hasappeared unto us for our sanctification and consolation.

Now, honouring this sacred image with our hymns and,with faith, bowing down in veneration following theexample of our holy father and hierarch John, we cry out


16/27

to thee:

Rejoice, thou who by thy mighty assistance doth deliver

us from all calamities!Rejoice, thou who dost protect us from power ofearthquakes and floods!Rejoice, thou who doth provide for us against hunger of

body and soul!Rejoice, thou who dost quench the fire of passions by thedew of thy prayers!Rejoice, thou who dost save us from the ravages of

pestilence!Rejoice, mighty helper in battles!Rejoice, defender from the invasions of enemies!Rejoice, thou who dost preserve us from civil strife!Rejoice, easy passage of all who sail upon the sea!

Rejoice, good guide of those who travel!Rejoice, liberation of captives!Rejoice, speedy deliverer from the righteous wrath of Godthat threatens us!


Kontakion 12

Wishing to give a pledge of grace to mankind, thou didstreveal thy healing ikon to us, O Mother of God, from


17/27

whom streams of wonders are poured forth for those whoapproach with faith and whose infirmities and sorrows arehealed. Therefore we joyfully cry through thee to God:

Alleluia!

Ikos 12

Lauding thy mercies and wonders, O Theotokos, we all praise thee as our steadfast intercessor, and bowing downwith compunction before thee who doth pray for us, weimplore thee to lift up thy hands to thy Son, that always inthis life, and after our death, His mercy may continually

be upon us who cry out to thee:

Rejoice, our unashamed hope in life and after our repose!Rejoice, thou who doth grant a peaceful end of this life to

those who honour thee!Rejoice, our hope and defence on the Day of Judgment!Rejoice, supplication of the just Judge!Rejoice, deliverance from everlasting torment!Rejoice, hope of eternal salvation!Rejoice, key to the Kingdom of Christ!Rejoice, portal of Paradise!Rejoice, bridge leading to the heavens!Rejoice, refuge and good intercessor for all repentantsinners!Rejoice, joy of the angels!Rejoice, glory and consolation of all the righteous!


18/27

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace, joy of all who

sorrow !

Kontakion 13 ( three times )

O all-hymned, divinely favoured Mother, thou who didst bear Christ the King, our Lord and God, to the joy ofheaven and earth: hearken unto the voice of thy sorrowingservants and having received this our small supplication,deliver us from every affliction, sorrow, and temptation;heal our infirmities, destroy vicious slanders, drive farfrom us every evil and enemy, and deliver from futuretorment those who, in faith, cry to thee: Alleluia!

Ikos 1 ( repeated)

The Archangel Gabriel was sent from Heaven to declareunto thee: Rejoice , and to announce the divineIncarnation of Christ, Who desired to be born of thee, the

joy of the whole world that was languishing in sorrow.Wherefore, heavy laden with sins, but having obtained thehope of salvation in thee, we cry out to thee withcompunction:

Rejoice, goodwill of God toward sinners!Rejoice, strong help for those who repent before the LordGod!


19/27

Rejoice, restoration of fallen Adam!Rejoice, redemption of the tears of Eve!Rejoice, thou who dost remove the stain of sin!

Rejoice, laver in which the conscience is washed clean!Rejoice, thou who didst bear the Redeemer Who freelycleanses us of our transgressions!Rejoice, wondrous reconciliation of all mankind withGod!Rejoice, bridge that truly leads us from death to life!Rejoice, thou who saves the world from the flood of sin!Rejoice, heavenly ladder by which the Lord descended tous!Rejoice, cause of sanctification for all!


Kontakion 1 ( repeated )

To thee, the champion leader, do we thy servants dedicatea hymn of victory and thanksgiving, as ones who have

been delivered from eternal death by the grace of Christour God, Who was born of thee, and by thy maternalmediation before Him. As thou dost have invinciblemight, free us from all sorrows and misfortune who cryaloud:Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace, joy of all who

sorrow !


20/27

First Prayer

O Lady Most Holy and Theotokos, thou art morehonourable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyondcompare than the Seraphim, O divinely-chosen maiden,

joy of all who sorrow; grant consolation even unto us whoare sunk in sorrow, for apart from thee, we have no refugeor assistance. Thou alone art the mediatress of our joyand, in that thou art the Mother of God and Mother ofmercy, standing at the throne of the All-Holy Trinity, thouart able to help us, for no-one who flees to thee departsashamed. Therefore, hearken now, in the day of oursorrow, unto us who bow down before thine ikon andimplore thee with tears: drive away from us the sorrowsand grief that assail us in this temporal life, and by thy

powerful intercession may we not be deprived of eternal joy in the Kingdom of thy Son and our God. Amen.

Second Prayer

Most Blessed Queen, O Theotokos my hope, guardian oforphans and intercessor for strangers, joy of thesorrowful, protectress of the oppressed; beholding mymisfortune, thou dost see my sorrow. Help me, for I aminfirm; feed me, for I am a stranger. Thou knowest mineoffences: do thou loose them, as thou dost will, for I have


21/27

none other help but thee, nor any other intercessor savethee, O Mother of God. Do thou preserve and protect meunto the ages of ages. Amen.

Third Prayer

O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord of the hosts onhigh, Queen of heaven and earth, almighty intercessor ofour country: receive this hymn of praise and thanksgivingfrom us, thine unworthy servants, and carry our prayers tothe throne of Christ our God, thy Son, that He may bemerciful towards our unrighteousness and extend Hisgrace to those who honour thine all-honourable name and

bow down before thy wonder-working ikon with faith and

love. For we are not worthy to be pitied by Him.Therefore we beg thee as our undoubted and speedyintercessor: hearken thou unto us thy supplicants.Overshadow us with thine almighty protection, andrequest of God thy Son: zeal and vigilance, concerningsouls, for our pastors; wisdom and strength for civilauthorities; justice and equity for judges; knowledge andhumility for those who teach; love and concord betweenhusbands and wives; obedience for children; patience forthe oppressed; fear of God for the oppressors; strength ofspirit for the sorrowful; restraint for the wayward; and forall of us, the spirit of understanding and piety, the spirit of


22/27

mercy and meekness, the spirit of purity andrighteousness. Yea, O Most Holy Lady, take pity on thineafflicted people: gather the dispersed, guide to the right

path those who have gone astray, support the aged, teachthe young sobriety, nourish the infants, and look downwith the gaze of thy merciful assistance upon us all. Raiseus up from the abyss of sin and open the eyes of ourhearts to the vision of salvation. Take pity on us here andnow, both in the land of our earthly sojourn and at thedread judgment of thy Son. Cause our fathers and

brethren who have passed from this life in faith andrepentance to abide in eternal life with the angels and allthe saints, for thou, O Lady, art the glory of all in heavenand the hope of us upon the earth. After God, thou art ourhope and the helper of all who turn to thee with faith.Therefore, to thee do we pray, and as to an all-powerful

helper, to thee do we entrust ourselves and ( here can beinserted the names of our family, our friends and anyonewho has asked us to pray for them ) and all our life, nowand ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.


23/27

THE IKON OF THE MOTHER OF GODJOY OF ALL WHO SORROW

Seeing that we have no boldness because of themultitude of our sins, do thou, O Virgin Theotokos,fervently entreat Him who was born of thee: for the

prayer of a mother availeth much to the goodwill of theLord. (from the Sixth Hour)

In many different ways our lives are full of sorrows suchas sickness, poverty and bereavement as well, of course,as an awareness of our own failings and inadequacies. Allthe worldly things to which we turn for comfort can neverfully take away all these sorrows, but the joy that Godwishes to give us far outweighs them. Why do sorrowfulsouls find a special joy when they bring their sorrows to

the Virgin Mary?

In the Lity, in the Vigil Service for Christmas Day, wesing: Today the Virgin gives birth to the Maker of all .And in another hymn, in a reference to the evil one, butnow he sees a woman become Mother of the Creator. AsMother of God, Who is Creator of heaven and earth, theHoly Virgin is indeed the mother of us all. Thus she has a

place of special honour in our devotions and in our hearts.

Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) wrote, This life has been given to us for trial, and in trial there is inevitably


24/27

tribulation and sorrow; but the goal of human life is the joy that awaits those who pass the trial. This joy we knowalready even in the small tribulations of our life, if we

face them with Christian faith and with the aid of the Divine grace bestowed in the sacraments and through theintercession of the Mother of God and the saints; and thisis for us a foretaste of the never ending joy that awaits usin the next life. The very Lord of life was crucified andburied; but He rose from the dead and opened to all thedoor of eternal life. In the world you shall havetribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome theworld (John 16:33).

In the Resurrection of our Saviour is the guarantee of oureternal joy; and in the intercession of His Most Holy

Mother is the surest means of approach, outside the

sacraments themselves, to this eternal joy. She is an ever-ready recourse in our tribulations, a merciful bestower ofblessings and joy even when there seems to be no hope.

+

The origin of the ancient Joy of All Who Sorrow Ikon isunknown; at least it is undocumented. The first recordedmiracle related to this ikon happened in 1688. At the time,the Russian Orthodox Church was ruled by Patriarch


25/27

Joachim. His sister, the lady Euphemia, was sick and hadsuffered for a long time with an abdominal abscess, whichwas an open sore. It seems that it was so serious that

Euphe mias internal organs could be seen and there werevery real fears for her life. Her ardent prayer to theMother of God was answered in that she understood thatshe must have a moleben (service of intercession) sung

before the Joy of all who sorrow Ikon that was kept inthe Transfiguration Church in Ordynka. The priest wassummoned. He brought the ikon, served the moleben,with the great blessing of water, and blessed the ailingwoman with the holy water. Euphemias life was sparedand she recovered from her malady. Giving thanks to theMother of God, Euphemia made public the news of hermiraculous healing and so this ikon came to prominence.The Church established a commemorative festival, on 24

October, in honour of the miracle.

In the ikon the Mother of God is shown in glory in thecentre surrounded by supplicants, the sick, the suffering,the poor, the bereaved and people who are in need orsorrow. On either side of the Mother of God are angelswho are directing the petitions to her. The petitions arerepresented by small scrolls. The original ikon (theMoscow one), shows the Holy Virgin holding the ChristChild but there is a second Joy of all who sorrow Ikon,in St Petersburg. This one is known as the ikon withcoins.


26/27

This copy of the Joy of all who sorrow Ikon, showingthe Mother of God not holding the Christ Child, was

found washed up on the bank of the Neva River and waskept in a chapel in the village of Klochka. It was dark andobscure. In 1888, in a violent thunderstorm, the buildingwas struck by lightning causing considerable damage. Thewalls were charred and the alms box was brokenscattering the contents on the floor. When the peopleinspected the damage, they found the ikon face down onthe floor. When it was lifted, not only had it become

bright and clear, but the coins were adhering to thesurface. The renewal of this ikon was seen as a sign fromheaven and it is commemorated annually on 23 July.

+A Note of Explanation concerning the word Theotokos:

This word is a very ancient devotional title for the VirginMary from whom, according to the Creed, God the Son

became incarnate. It derives from two Greek words, tokos

(birth) and Theos (God). Hence a literal translation would be "the one who gave birth to God", but the term has nodirect English equivalent. Because it is so ancient, andwas affirmed at the General Council of the Church inEphesus in AD431, we have left the term as it is without


27/27

trying to translate it.

Date post:	04-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	xqe2003
View:	220 times
Download:	0 times

Akathist to the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow Website Version

Documents